Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 announced

Wizards of the Coast and Stainless Games are at it again and have another installment of the hit digital-Magic game ready to roll: Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 has been announced and will be released for the PC, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and iPad later this year. The digital game will launch alongside the 2013 Core Set of the card game this coming Summer.

The new version of the game will introduce 10 entirely new decks to the series as well as new gameplay features and game types. One of my biggest criticisms with the series is being addressed in the form of mana tapping; players will now be able to select which lands they tap for mana rather than having the game automatically decide for you. Wizards has also announced that the Planechase game type is also coming to the series.

Very few specifics have been revealed at this point, but Wizards does warn that the boss of the game is a big one: Nicol Bolas! Hopefully more details and actual screenshots will be released soon. Those interested can read the full press release regarding the announcement on the next page.

April 6, 2012 - RENTON, WA - Wizards of the Coast today announced the Magic: The Gathering 2013 product line-up featuring the Magic: The Gathering 2013 Core Set for the paper trading card game (TCG) and the Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 video game for iPad, Xbox LIVE Arcade, Steam and PlayStation Network platforms. Both the Magic 2013 Core Set and Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will launch this summer* and will call on players to face a greater challenge by battling Magic's ultimate evil mastermind, the dragon Planeswalker Nicol Bolas!

"We're excited to make Magic: The Gathering even more accessible to our growing player base by adding iPad to the suite of platforms that Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will be available on this summer," said Worth Wollpert, Director of Digital Games for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast. "Given that the original Duels and Duels 2012 have been downloaded well over 2 million times combined since its launch in June 2009, our customers are clearly enjoying what we've done with the game to this point, and we're thrilled to be able to offer both new and existing Magic fans exciting content and game play options on a world-class tablet platform that many of our customers have been asking for."

Hot on the heels of the widely successful Duels of the Planeswalkers franchise, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will introduce 10 new decks, optional manual mana tapping, and other exciting features when it launches on iPad, Xbox LIVE Arcade, Steam and PlayStation Network.

"We are incredibly proud of our work with Wizards of the Coast," said Patrick Buckland, CEO of Stainless Games Ltd, "and we are confident that Duels 2013 will be the best version of the game yet!"

With an easy to use tutorial, Duels of the Planeswalkers is the best way for new players to learn how to play Magic: The Gathering. Players that are already familiar with Magic will enjoy a new-to-digital multiplayer game mode called Planechase, which utilizes oversized cards based on various Planes within the Magic Multiverse, to modify the rules of gameplay, adding another layer of excitement.

Attendees at the PAX East convention taking place in Boston this weekend are invited to come learn about some of the Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 content, as well as take part in Archenemy paper card game challenges at the Magic: The Gathering booth (#462). A variety of Magic events for the paper TCG product will be taking place in Gaming Hall B.

*Launch timing may vary by platform and region. Only Steam platform available in China.

About Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering is the first and most widely played trading card game. Players take on the role of Planeswalkers – powerful mages who battle others for glory, knowledge and conquest. Their weapons include spells, creatures, and artifacts gathered from a vast Multiverse of unique fantasy worlds. With more than 12 million players and fans worldwide, Magic is printed in 11 languages and played in more than 70 countries.

About Wizards of the Coast

Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards' players and fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of both digital gaming and in-person play. The company brings to market a range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and KAIJUDO. Wizards is also a publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information about our world renowned brands, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.

About Stainless Games

Stainless Games Ltd is a privately owned company based on the South Coast of the UK, and has been the developer for Duels of the Planeswalkers since its inception as a digital product. Although best known for the creation of the multi-million selling Carmageddon franchise, the company has most recently become recognized as one of the world's leading developers in the burgeoning Console Download market. For more information visit the Stainless Games website at www.stainlessgames.com.